Elizabeth Swenson
September 2023
Elizabeth
Swenson
,
RN
Home Health
Mary Greeley Medical Center
Ames
,
IA
United States

 

 

 

She is fearless in her resolve to continue to help others and achieve her full potential in nursing. She teaches everyone "not to sweat the small stuff" and to live every day to the fullest, even in the face of adversity. It has been a true honor and privilege to work with this extraordinary person, nurse, and friend.
Elizabeth has given me permission to tell her story. In January of 2022 Elizabeth was driving home from work when she hit a deer and went down a ravine. She sustained a mild concussion. During a scan at the ER, she was found to have a cancerous brain mass that she would not have discovered if not for hitting the deer. Devine Intervention. She subsequently underwent 2 brain surgeries, which affected her ability to speak, resulted in many rounds of chemotherapy, and the loss of her beautiful hair. She barreled through speech therapy, all the while taking care of her family. Through all of this, Elizabeth never lost her desire to care for others. After several months of recovery, she was able to return to her Home Health nursing and her roles as a lead nurse and clinical resource nurse for the department. Elizabeth has reached out to home health clients and shared her story with those who are struggling with cancer diagnoses themselves. It gives them strength and courage and proof that the hair will grow back! I am nominating Elizabeth for the DAISY Award because of her unwavering strength, positive attitude, and selfless ability to inspire me and others every day to be the best we can be, whether we are the nurse or the patient. She is fearless in her resolve to continue to help others and achieve her full potential in nursing. She teaches everyone "not to sweat the small stuff" and to live every day to the fullest, even in the face of adversity. It has been a true honor and privilege to work with this extraordinary person, nurse, and friend.

***

Elizabeth is a wonderful nurse and a great asset to Mary Greeley Medical Center. She is always willing to go above and beyond to help with patient care. Not long ago, I had a patient with cancer who decided to stop treatment. It was making her very ill, and she was losing her hair, making her very self-conscious. I wanted to send this patient off and make her discharge positive and motivating. I asked Elizabeth if she would come and do a co-visit with me all the way in Fort Dodge. Elizabeth, after hearing the patient's story without any hesitation, jumped on board and wanted to motivate and support this patient as we sent her on her way. Elizabeth came to the visit and told some of her own personal story and talked to her about how her hair would grow back, she was able to bring personal perspective and a heartfelt message to this patient making her discharge from home health a positive and meaningful experience. The patient was so grateful for Elizabeth sharing her story with her and giving her hope and positivity! Elizabeth is a true blessing to the nurses she works with and the patients she cares for.